Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
by closet-hopeless-romantic
Summary: Set sometime after Cloak. A difficult case brings some truths to light. TIVA!
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my first NCIS fic. I never used to be a Tiva fan, but they have really grown on me, and now I am dying for them to get together in the show!! I haven't seen any of Season 6 (pity us poor UK viewers!) So all mistakes are mine. I've tried to take out my anglicisms as far as possible, but I imagine a few have slipped in!!**

**OK, enough from me. I hope you enjoy it!**

**PS. anyone who can tell me where i paraphrased the first little bit of dialogue from gets a cookie!**

* * *

"I'm telling you, she wanted me!" Tony said, smirking at his partner who was sat at her desk sipping a cup of coffee. Ziva looked at him in annoyance,

"Is there any form of female behavior that you don't understand as finding you attractive?!" she asked, exasperatedly. Tony shrugged and grinned at her,

"It's never really come up." Ziva smirked, and got to her feet.

"Is that so Tony?" she asked huskily, her voice dropping a couple of octaves as she crossed the short distance to his desk. He gulped slightly, as he watched her move around his desk, and perch coyly on it, crossing her legs provocatively and pouting at him. "So this you would consider as finding you attractive then?"

"Uh-huh" he said, offering her his most charming smile.

"And what about this?" she replied, hopping of his desk and leaning over him, one hand resting on the armrest of his chair. Taking his time, he looked her up and down, his eyes coming to rest on her cleavage, unable to keep a grin off his face. He was so distracted he barely registered the movement of Ziva's right arm, as she slipped his letter opener off his desk and brought it round quickly, pressing the tip gently against the side of his neck.

"What the..?!" he started in alarm, just as she pulled back, laughing, twirling the letter opener around her fingers.

"Are you two done?" Gibbs' voice came from behind them, as he strode into the bullpen, his habitual cup of coffee in one hand, a pile of folders in the other. Tony looked startled, and jumped to his feet,

"Uh, boss, she uh, she threaten.."

"I don't care, DiNozzo." Gibbs replied, putting down his coffee and delivering a slap to the head. "Grab your gear," he continued as he dumped the files on his desk, "we've got two dead sailors at Norfolk." He tossed the keys to McGee. "McGee, gas the truck and get Ducky and Palmer." He looked at the other two, who were standing side by side behind Tony's desk. "Why are you two still standing there?"

"Sorry Boss," they chorused as Ziva moved quickly over to her desk, passing by Gibbs as she did so. He headslapped her as she went past, and she turned to look at him.

"What was that for?!" she asked,

"Threatening your partner." He replied, rolling his eyes inwardly as she tossed a knowing smirk in Tony's direction. "Come on." He added, heading towards the elevator.

**

* * *

**

Norfolk Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia

Petty Officer Martínez watched as the dark sedan pulled up in the 'no parking' zone near where she was sat with Base Security and 2 men and a woman got out. The younger man could be heard complaining as they pulled their gear out of the trunk of the car.

"Why did you let Ziva drive, boss?" he was saying, rubbing the back of his neck as if in pain. The grey-haired man shrugged as the strode towards Martínez herself,

"She asked!" he replied, coming to a stop in front her. "Petty Officer Martínez?" he asked, flashing his ID with practiced ease.

"Yes, sir?" she replied, standing quickly to attention.

"At ease. I'm Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS." The man replied, "We're going to need to ask you some questions." He turned to the other two, "DiNozzo, sketch and shoot, David, bag and tag. And find out where the hell the others are."

"On it boss." The woman and the man chorused. Martínez took a moment to study the younger man. DiNozzo, the older had called him. So, of Italian descent, and he was handsome, there was no doubt about it. Charming too, she supposed. She watched as he followed the woman to the crime scene, to where she had found the bodies. They were laughing about something. Her observations were interrupted suddenly by Gibbs addressing her once more.

"Tell me what happened, Petty Officer. When did you discover the bodies?"

"About 0600, sir. I was out for my run. I usually follow a different route, but some of my buddies had recommended I try a different one. I started at the school at around 0530; the loop takes you through residential area A, through that little woodland over there," she waved her arm in the direction she had come from, "past the sports field and bleachers and back to the school. When I was approaching the bleachers, I saw two figures running away from them. When I reached the area, I had a quick look round, and that's when I found the bodies." She shuddered, "It was horrible, sir."

"What happened next?"

"I always run with my mobile phone, so I notified base security and they contacted you."

"Did you touch the bodies?"

"I felt for a pulse, but other than that, no."

"We're going to need your fingerprints for eliminatory purposes."

"Yes, sir."

"Did you recognize either of the deceased?"

Martínez hesitated, "No, sir. Norfolk's a pretty big base, and I was only transferred here a month ago." Gibbs nodded and turned to a young, blond man who had recently arrived in a van. "McGee, take her prints and then go help Tony and Ziva."

"Right, boss." He replied. Gibbs nodded to Martínez and headed towards the rest of the group.

* * *

Tony was busy taking photos of the scene, and of Ziva when she wasn't looking, when Gibbs joined them.

"What have we got?" he asked.

"Signs of a struggle," Ziva replied, pointing to the disturbed piles of fallen autumn leaves on the ground. "They put up a fight."

"Or at least one of them did." Ducky chipped in. "This young man," he pointed to the body on the right, a Lance Corporal of about 24, Hispanic by the look of him. "Died of a gunshot to the back of the head."

"Petty Officer Martínez didn't mention anything about gunshots." Gibbs replied, frowning.

"A silencer, boss?" Tony asked.

"Very possibly, Tony." Ducky answered. "However, Ziva is also correct, the second victim definitely put up a fight. The bruising on his face and knuckles indicates that he may have been in a brawl of some sort before he died. As to how he died, I can't tell you just yet."

"Got a TOD, Duck?"

"Victim number one, about 0600. Victim number 2 appears to have died a short while earlier."

"Thanks Ducky. You'll let me know.."

"When I have the autopsy reports. Yes Jethro!" Ducky replied with barely disguised amusement.

"DiNozzo, David, get this stuff back to Abby. McGee, come with me." He strode off, McGee scurrying after him.

"Hey Probie," Tony yelled after him. McGee turned and looked enquiringly. "The keys?" McGee nodded, and fished in his pocket, throwing them towards Tony. He was just about to catch them when a hand snatched them out from under his nose.

"I'm driving." Ziva said, grinning teasingly at him.

"I'm dead." Tony replied, wincing as she punched him on the arm.

**

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So that was chapter 1. It was just an introductory chapter really. I'll get to the more interesting bits in the next few chapters, including more Tiva moments, a kidnap, a rescue, and some realisations.

**I hope you enjoyed it! All reviews, good or bad, are appreciated. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the long wait for update, I had to go to Germany for work. I'll try to be faster between the next chapters. **

**Thank you to all of you who reviewed and/or story alerted this story! I'm so pleased that you are enjoying it. I hope you like this next installment. I'm still getting into the story, so bear with me for more exciting moments, and of course the Tiva bits!! **

* * *

The drive back to headquarters was mainly conducted in silence, the sound of Tony occasionally singing along with the radio being the only interruption. He had taken advantage of not having Gibbs in the car with them to tune the radio into some local jazz station and was singing along quietly. With Ziva concentrating on the road, he took the opportunity to observe her discreetly. It was a good way to distract him from the terror of her driving. She was one of the most beautiful women Tony had ever known and, let's face it, he had known a lot of beautiful women. He had never known, however, a woman who could make combats look as hot as she did, nor a woman who would give as good as she got in both the teasing and combat stakes. She was his best friend, and he wouldn't change that for anything. And yet, he recognized that recently things had been a bit stilted between them. Ziva had almost taken a step back; she hadn't been so quick to tease them as she usually was. Part of him put that down to their prolonged separation. Four months was a long time, and the events surrounding their separation had changed them both. But there was a niggling part of his mind that kept reminding him that things had been normal between them since his return from the Seahawk, and that the change had only happened in the last few weeks. He didn't want to consider what that meant. Ziva's voice suddenly interrupted his reverie.

"Tony!" she was calling, looking at him with undisguised amusement. He met her eyes with his and smiled sheepishly,

"What? He asked, innocently.

"I was wondering if you were planning on getting out of the car anytime soon?" He looked around in surprise. Apparently his thoughts had wandered far enough to last the entire journey back to base.

"Oh! Sure!" he replied, more than a bit relieved she hadn't caught him staring. He moved to get out of the car.

"I'm going to get this stuff to Abby." Ziva said, pulling a crate of evidence out of the trunk of the car. "I'll see you upstairs in a minute?"

"Sure." Tony replied, watching her leave.

* * *

"I've found out the names of our 2 Lance Corporals" Tony announced as Ziva strode into the bullpen a few minutes later. He clicked something on his computer and to service records appeared side by side on the plasma. "Lance Corporal Luis Salinas Martín and former Lance Corporal Daniel Smith." Ziva looked at him,

"Former?" she asked, "But they were both in uniform." Tony nodded,

"Lance Corporal Smith was dishonorably discharged 2 months ago for failing repeated drug tests. It was suspected that he was a dealer, but no evidence was ever found." He added, "He last served on the.." he was interrupted by his cell phone as the theme tune to the A-Team blared away through tinny speakers. He glanced at the caller id and quickly pressed cancel to reject the call. Ziva grinned at him,

"Who are you avoiding?" she asked

"No-one important" He shifted uncomfortably, refusing to meet her glance, and turned his attention back to the plasma. "As I was saying, Smith's last tour of duty was on the USS Enterpr..hey!" While his back was turned, Ziva had snuck up to his desk and picked up his phone." She laughed.

"Tiffany, huh?" she smirked, "Which one would this be? The one you picked up in that bar last week, or the nitty kindergarten teacher we met during that case last week?"

"Nutty, Ziva." Tony replied, reaching over and trying to grab his phone from her hand. "Nitty doesn't mean anything. Except maybe someone who has got nits." Ziva looked non-plussed,

"You are dating someone who has nits?" Tony rolled his eyes.

"No Ziva.."

"Who's got nits?" They both turned as a third voice sounded from behind them. Nikki Jardine was standing next to Ziva's desk, a look of undisguised revulsion on her face, her hands automatically touching her hair in fear.

"No-one has got nits!" Tony exclaimed, a little louder than he realized.

"I'm glad to hear that, Special Agent DiNozzo." He groaned inwardly, and then turned to see the Director leaning over the banister of the staircase, still chewing one of those godforsaken toothpicks. "Where's Gibbs?"

"Still at the crime scene." Ziva replied.

"Well when he gets back, tell him I need to speak with him."

"Yes, sir." They all watched as Vance turned, and headed back up the stairs towards MTAC.

"Thanks for that Zeevah!" Tony hissed. She just laughed.

"Well it's your fault for avoiding that poor girl's call." She replied, shrugging slightly, "but I suppose if she has nits you have a good reason."

"She does not have nits Ziva," he said exasperatedly,

"Then why are you avoiding her calls?" She gave him a knowing smirk. Tony returned the smirk with one of his own,

"She just can't get enough of me, you should know what that feels li-Ow!" he rubbed his arm. "What was that…" he trailed off at the look she was giving him.

"Uh guys?" Nikki was standing watching the exchange nervously. They were both nice people, but she had always felt uncomfortable being with them both together on her own; she always felt she was missing something, like she was intruding. She didn't know how McGee could stand it.

"Sorry, Nikki." Ziva said, not unkindly, "What can we do for you?"

"I was looking for Agent Gibbs. The Director told me that I was to join your team for this case."

"Gibbs knows this?" Tony asked,

"I think that was why the Director was looking for him."

"Well, let's get started before Gibbs.."

"Before I what, DiNozzo?"

"Uh, I was just bringing Nikki up to speed on the case, boss. The Director has asked her to work with us on this." Gibbs looked appraisingly at Nikki. She stared back, her expression a mixture of nervousness and defiance.

"Well get to it DiNozzo. What have you found?" Tony glanced at Ziva, who nodded.

"Lance Corporal Luis Salinas Martín and former Lance Corporal Daniel Smith were found on Norfolk Naval Base this morning at approximately 0630. Salinas Martín was shot at point blank range, while Smith appeared to have died following a struggle. We're waiting on the results of Ducky's autopsy." She started, indicating the plasma, where the pictures of the two sailors stared down at the group.

"Smith was dishonourably discharged 2 months ago for failing repeated drugs tests. The Agent Afloat on his last ship, the Enterprise, suspected he had been dealing, but no evidence was ever found and the Navy settled on throwing him out on his ear the minute his tour was over. Salinas Martín was on the same cruise."

"Drug deal gone bad?" McGee ventured.

"Possibly. But that doesn't explain why Smith was dressed in uniform. Or why there were two people killed. Dealers don't tend to work in pairs." Tony replied. "By the way, boss, the Director was looking for you." Gibbs scowled,

"OK. DiNozzo, McGee, find out all you can about our two sailors. Nikki, you help them. Ziva, go down and see how Abby is doing, and help her if she needs you. She's going to have a lot of evidence to work through." He sighed, "I'll go and see what out illustrious director wants."

**

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So there we go, I hope this isn't moving too slowly. I'm not usually a fan of short chapters, but for this story I feel that it helps the suspense.

**Anyways, all reviews are welcome! – good or bad, it doesn't matter, it really helps knowing what you think!**

**Thanks for reading! :o)**


	3. Chapter 3

**So I'm finally back! Sorry it's been so long. I had the first half of this chapter written by 2 days after I posted the last one, but work got hectic and I just haven't had a chance to write. I hope you enjoy it and find that it was worth the wait!**

* * *

Ducky was just finishing up Lance Corporal Salinas Martín's autopsy when Gibbs walked into autopsy.

"You wanted to see me, Duck?" he said, as he walked through the doors. Ducky and Palmer both looked up at him in surprise.

"Why, yes I did, Jethro, but how did you know?" Gibbs just looked at him, and he cleared his throat before continuing. "This young man died of a gunshot wound to the head. He had no chance to defend himself. His companion was died in a struggle." He indicated the X-ray scrren with his hand, and moved over to it. "As you can see, he suffered a cervical fracture of vertebrae 1 and 2."

"In English, Duck?"

"His neck was broken. Snapped from behind. The bruising on his face and hands suggests that he was involved in a brawl of some sort. He had been punched and probably kicked in the abdomen multiple times, and he appeared to have landed some punches himself."

"Anything else?"

"Victim number one had also suffered some bruising around his anus. He had sexual intercourse shortly before he died. I found some traces of what I believe to be semen around the area. Abigail is running the DNA now."

* * *

"DiNozzo, McGee, what have you found?"

"Lance Corporal Salinas Martín was like the poster boy for the Navy, boss." Tony replied quickly, jumping in before McGee could answer. "Joined up at 18, had an exemplary record. Returned from his latest tour on the Enterprise 2 months ago, has been stationed at Norfolk ever since. Lived on base, sharing quarters with Lance Corporal James Howard, who is currently on leave visiting his folks in Lincoln, Nebraska." He glanced at Gibbs, allowing McGee to add quickly,

"Smith has been staying with his sister in Norfolk since he was discharged. I've got the address here. He failed 3 consecutive random drugs tests, but no evidence has ever been found to link him to supplying. Neither of them was married…"

The phone rang suddenly, interrupting McGee's wandering narrative.

"Gibbs?" Gibbs said as he answered. There was a pause. "Ok we'll be right down." He hung up, and looked at the group. "Abby's got something for us."

* * *

Abby and Ziva were laughing about something when the rest of the group trouped into the lab behind Gibbs.

"Hey guys!" the forensic scientist exclaimed enthusiastically, "Ziva and I were just talking about.." she caught the look on Gibbs' face, "the case." She carried on quickly, smiling innocently at him.

"What have you got for us Abs?"

"Three things. The gun used to kill Lance Corporal Salinas Martín used a silencer. The bullet had clear striations from a commercially-available silencer. I'm running it through ballistics now. Second, the substance Ducky found on Salinas Martín's skin was semen; he had got lucky shortly before he died."

"Lucky him." Tony piped up from his position next to Ziva, well out of reach of Gibbs' headslaps. He wasn't, however, out of range of Gibbs' glares. "Sorry, boss. Shutting up now." He added, wincing slightly as his partner also socked him in the stomach.

"Jealous, Tony?!" she muttered under her breath. "And here we were all thinking that you were quite the ladies' man."

"Oh, I am that, Zeevah." He drawled softly, "would you like a demonstration?" Ziva paused, about to respond, when she realised that the rest of the group were watching them; Gibbs with exasperation, McGee and Abby with amusement and Nikki with a look torn between amusement and fear.

"Sorry, Gibbs. Abby, you were saying?" she said quickly, unable to hide the slight smirk at the look on Tony's face.

"As I was saying, the substance was definitely semen. I'm running the DNA now."

"And the third thing?" Abby grinned, and held out her empty cup of Caf-Pow hopefully. Gibbs raised his eyebrows at her and she grinned.

"I found traces of cocaine on Smith's clothes – on the insides of his pockets and on the outside of the uniform jacket he was wearing. It was good stuff too, not some weak stuff mixed with talcum powder and flour that is generally found on the street. This was high purity. Columbian, I would wager." Gibbs pressed a kiss on her cheek.

"Good job, Abs." He said, "Tony, Ziva, and go talk to Smith's sister and search his belongings." Gibbs said after a moment's pause. "McGee, you're with me. Jardine, contact whoever was Agent Afloat on board the Enterprise during Smith and Salinas Martín's tour. See if he has any information on Smith's suspected drug habits, as well as how well they knew each other."

* * *

"What does it matter what Abby and I were talking about?" Ziva asked exasperatedly as she followed Tony up the pathway to a modern townhouse on the outskirts of Norfolk. Tony had not shut up for the entire journey, and she was having to force herself to resist the urge to throttle him.

"Well unless you were professing your undying love for me then I don't understand why you can't tell me!" Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Yes Tony, that's exactly what we were talking about." She replied sarcastically, "I was telling her how hard I find it to control myself around you. The uh, urges I have are just so strong. Abby was helping think of ways to control myself." He shot her his most charming grin as he raised his hand to knock at the door.

"I knew it!" He said smugly. Ziva smirked and moved closer to him, standing on tip toes to whisper in his ear,

"She offered to teach me how to kill you without leaving any forensic evidence!" she laughed as Tony paled considerably, and took a step back just as the door opened and a young, brunette woman appeared in the doorway.

"Can I help you?"

"Natalie Smith?" Tony took the lead.

"Yes? Is this about Dan?" She looked pale and sad.

"Yes," Tony replied quietly, flashing his badge, "Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, NCIS. This is my partner, Ziva David" Natalie Smith nodded at them both, and stepped aside.

"Come in, please."

They followed her in.

"We'd like to talk to you about Lance Corporal Smith, if that is ok?" Ziva said, as the woman showed them into the family room and sat down in an armchair, unconsciously curling her feet up under her.

"Sure. I'll tell you what I can. I can't believe he is gone. I thought he might have been mixed up in something dodgy, but to be murdered is just unbelievable." A couple of tears slipped down her cheeks, and the partners exchanged slightly nervous glances. Neither of them were particularly good at dealing with upset women.

"You said you thought he was mixed up in something?" Ziva said, "Do know what?" Natalie wiped at the tears,

"I'm not sure. Dan hasn't been the same since he was discharged. He didn't really speak to me about why he was discharged. I know the basic story, the drugs tests, but he refused to discuss it. Our father refused to speak to Dan after he was discharged. He was an enlisted man, as was his father. Dan was the first of our family to go to Annapolis. Honour means a lot to him, and Dan failed him."

"Have you ever seen this man?" Tony offered her a photo of Luis Salinas Martín. She took it from him, studying it intently.

"No. But that doesn't mean Dan didn't know him. I never met any of the people he hung around with. Is he involved in this?"

"He was killed at the same time as your brother."

"Did Daniel have a girlfriend?" She shook her head.

"Not that I know of. I've never really known him to have one. I once saw him in town with a Hispanic women. They were arguing."

"Could you give a description of this woman?"

"I only saw her from a distance. But she had long, curly hair, was slim and about the same height as Dan. She wasn't in uniform, but she looked military." She shrugged at Ziva's questioning gaze, "We were Navy brats as we grew up. When you spend most of your childhood on Naval bases, you learn to spot sailors a mile off. It's the only way of being sure of not being caught doing things you shouldn't."

"Thank you Miss Smith, you've been very helpful." Tony said, exchanging a glance with Ziva. "Would it be ok if we looked through Daniel's belongings?" She nodded.

"First door on the left when you reach the top of the stairs." She said, indicating the staircase.

"Thank you. We'll be out of your way as soon as possible. Come on, Ziva."

* * *

The room was fairly sparse, as if the occupant didn't spend much time there. A familiar sight for Naval officers who were shipped out for months at a time. As Ziva searched through the closet, Tony started a methodical search of the bedside table and the bed itself.

"Her description of the Hispanic woman," Ziva said as she pulled down a shoe box from the very back of the top shelf of the wardrobe, "It sounded remarkably like Petty Officer Martinez, did it not?"

"The one who found the bodies?" Tony asked, not looking up, "I didn't really see her." Ziva laughed,

"Now that I do not believe, she was an attractive wo.." she trailed off suddenly causing Tony to look at her.

"Have you found something?" Ziva was holding a photo.

"It looks like our two dead men knew each other very well indeed." She replied, waving the photo at him. Tony got up quickly and went to look. It was a picture of Daniel Smith and Luis Salinas Martín dressed in matching Hawaiian shirts with their arms around each other. Smith was pressing a kiss on Salinas Martín's cheek, who was grinning widely for the camera.

"Don't ask, don't tell." Tony said. He looked uneasy, this was not good news, and he did not want to be the one to tell Gibbs. It added a whole other dimension to the case, and hate crimes were not something he enjoyed investigating. Ziva looked puzzled for a moment.

"Don't ask, don't tell?" she questioned.

"The Navy's policy towards gay and lesbian servicemen and women." Tony explained, "Is there anything else in there?" There was a pause as Ziva continued her search.

"A few more photos," she let a little shout of satisfaction. "And this!" She held up a slip of paper and a key. "It seems that Lance Corporal Smith had access to a warehouse near the base.

"I'm calling Gibbs." Tony said, grabbing the piece of paper from her and examining the hastily scrawled address.

* * *

The warehouses were part of a complex used for unloading container ships that docked at the Port of Virginia. Ziva grimaced as they drove past the very warehouse she and Tony had ended up in while being locked in that container all those years ago. Tony caught her involuntary motion and grinned,

"Hoping we'll get locked in somewhere together Zeevah?!" he said teasingly. "It's colder than it was back then, but I'm sure we would be able to come up with some _interesting_ ways of keeping warm!" there was a teasing leer in his tone.

"In your dreams, DiNozzo." She replied, rolling her eyes. She pointed suddenly, "There it is. Warehouse 4D." Tony drew the car up quietly, a short way away from the warehouse doors. Everything was still. Apart from an empty forklift truck, there was nothing around. The area was deathly silent. "It's kind of spoony out here."

"Spooky" Tony corrected automatically. "What's wrong, is our big, bad Mossad Agent scared?!" He winced as she punched him on the arm.

"I do not get scared." She told him haughtily. "But I do have a feeling." Tony groaned,

"Ziva, the last time you had a feeling, I ended up following you into a warehouse rigged with explosives so you could diffuse the bomb."

"All of which points to your stupidity, not the validity of my feeling. I think we should wait for the Port security. They said they would only be a few minutes."

"Yeah, because they would be a real help in any of the disastrous situations that your twisted mind is currently dreaming up." Ziva huffed. _He was right_, she reasoned, _they could take care of themselves. And Port Security officers were notorious for being complete wombats_, she frowned, _no, not wombats, dingbats! _She grinned, proud of herself for realizing her error.

"Fine. You are right. Let's go." She said, getting out of the car. Tony jumped out quickly and followed her to the doors. Unlocking them quickly, they drew their guns and nodded to each other. Following Tony's silent count, she opened the doors, and they both went in, scanning the dark. They could both make out a container in the far corner, as well as some smaller shapes in the other. Using their torches to illuminate the way, they moved silently through the warehouse, silently agreeing to split up. Tony headed towards the container, Ziva to the crates.

Ziva reached the crates quickly, and opened the first one up. It was full of smaller, taped up packages. She used her knife to open one, and was unsurprised when a shower of white powder fell out. Cocaine, presumably. It looked like they had found the evidence that Smith had been a dealer. And a large scale one at that. From behind her, there suddenly came a crash and a thump and she spun around, her senses tingling.

"Tony?" she called softly. Silence. She swore softly under her breath and headed quickly over to where she had last seen her partner.

Tony, meanwhile, had had less luck. The container was locked, and he could see no way of gaining access. He circled them slowly, studying the markings on the container. It belonged to one of the large shipping companies that used the port. But what was in there, he couldn't guess. He was about to call to Ziva, when he heard a sound behind him and he swung round, fully expecting to see his partner standing there. Instead he saw a Hispanic woman who looked vaguely familiar. She was holding a gun. He stopped, and opened his mouth to speak. Before he could get a word out, he saw the woman nod slightly, he felt a brief flash of pain at the back of his head and then everything went black.

As Ziva ran towards the container, there was a sudden flash of light from her right, and she turned to look, her gun drawn. A back door had been opened.

"Tony!" she called again, louder this time. She was really worried now. Suddenly she heard a bullet whistle past her ear, and she ducked reflexively, diving back towards the crates. "What is it with this place and shootouts?!" she muttered, taking cover as best she could as she returned fire. She couldn't see her opponent, but she could tell that whoever they were, they were moving towards the light. She squinted, as she saw a black figure running through the door, all the while firing furiously in her direction. She carried on firing, until she saw an image that made her blood run cold. There was another figure moving through the door now. A tall figure, dragging the limp body of someone who she recognized all too well.

"Tony!" she called again, breaking away from her cover and running towards the door, dodging the bullets, but afraid to fire in case she hit her partner. She burst through the door in time to hear brakes squealing and a black car drive off at break neck speed. She automatically fired her weapon, aiming for the tires, but it was too late. The car turned the corner, and then was gone.

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Hehe, I hope you won't hate me too much for the cliff hanger! I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I certainly had fun writing it. I promise I will try and update as soon as possible, but work is hectic at the moment so I don't have much time to write.

**I love hearing what you think, and it really encourages me to keep updating, so go on, push that little button and leave me your thoughts! All types of reviews are appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, so I officially am rubbish. I know I said I'd try and update fast, but I just haven't had the time to write at all. I hope this installment was worth the wait. **

**Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed the last chapter, it really helps me to know what you all think! :o)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

As the car turned the corner, tires screeching, Ziva stopped running. There was nothing she could do to stop them now.

"Harah" ("shit") she swore angrily, reaching for her cell phone and pressing speed dial 3. She was dreading making this phone call.

"Gibbs, it is Ziva." She paused, hesitating slightly before answering his question. "We have a problem. Tony and I were looking around the warehouse and…." She hesitated again, and Gibbs' voice floated through the speaker.

"and what, David?"

"There was someone here. They took Tony." She replied, sounding a lot calmer than she felt. They had taken her partner, and it was her fault. The silence on the other end of the line did nothing to assuage her guilt. Finally Gibbs spoke, his voice laced with anger. She wasn't sure if it was aimed at her or not, but it was something she preferred not to think about.

"The car that took him was a blue Ford Explorer. Virginia licence plate JHG-2025." She added, wincing slightly as she heard Gibbs relay this information to McGee at a volume that suggested he was down in Abby's lab rather than standing right in the bullpen with him. She looked around her as she listened to Gibbs' rapid fire questions and was relieved to see port security driving up.

"Yes, Gibbs." She replied, holding her hand up to the security officer, indicating she would be finished soon.

"Port security just got here." She nodded,

"Warehouse 4D, 3 on from where Tony and I got stuck last time." She paused again.

"Yes, boss." She hesitated, "and boss?"

"I'm sorry." A dial tone responded to her statement, and she hung up the phone slowly.

* * *

When Gibbs and McGee arrived at the warehouse, Ziva was nowhere in sight. Port security had secured the area, presumably on her order, and the guard indicated inside the warehouse as he examined their IDs.

"Officer David is in there. We've put a BOLO out on the car; our CCTV footage has it leaving the port out of exit 5 towards Portsmouth." Gibbs nodded and turned to McGee.

"Tim, sketch and shoot out here."

"On it boss." McGee replied, glancing around. It felt weird not having Tony there. The last time something like this had happened, they had thought that it was Tony's murder they were investigating. This wasn't a much better feeling.

Gibbs left him, heading into the dark warehouse. He glanced around as he entered, his eyes adjusting quickly to the darkness. To the left, he just about make out the evidence markers that Ziva had evidently already marked out. To his right, the contents of the warehouse were swallowed by the darkness. There was no sign of Ziva; no sounds of movement. He moved further inside, heading to the left. As he rounded the container he saw her. She was squatting on the floor, her back pressed against the container, her head in her hands. He had never seen her look so defeated before, and he couldn't even see her face. Her posture gave away her every feeling. He studied her silently for a moment, unsurprised to hear her speak a few seconds later. Only Ziva would be sat in the dark, wallowing, even while her senses were working on overdrive as usual.

"Any news?" Gibbs sat down next to her quietly, saying nothing. "It was my fault."

"It was no-one's fault." He replied, softly, "Just like Jenny's death." She looked at him; Jenny's death was a topic that just wasn't mentioned.

"I should have stopped them." They both knew she wasn't just talking about Tony's kidnappers. She saw his eyes soften.

"Tony can take care of himself. And we will find him, Ziva."

* * *

It was 4am the next time Gibbs checked his watch. He had been down with Abby, who had announced that the bullets that had been fired at Ziva had come from the same weapon as had killed Salinas Martín. While this wasn't exactly good news, it did at least give them a lead. He headed. They had been working non-stop since Tony had disappeared, and they were no closer. Their BOLO had come back with a positive result, and they had raced to the property where it had been spotted only to find a burnt out shell of a car. The car had been dumped, but there had been no-one in it. Still, he knew the image had affected them all, again flashing back to the time Tony's car had been blown up. But he was most worried about Ziva. She blamed herself; that much was obvious. But there was obviously something more there; something he wasn't even sure she was aware of. He sighed as he pressed the elevator call button. He needed some coffee if he was going to start contemplating the nuances of Tony and Ziva's relationship; hell, scotch would probably be preferable, but that would have to wait until they got Tony back.

He headed slowly out of the building, his feet automatically taking him to the only coffee shop in the area that was open 24 hours. Jenny's death had mellowed him out a bit, not in an obvious way though, and he doubted anyone had really noticed. Yes, his rules existed for good reasons, but as most people would point out, rules are made to be broken. He'd overheard Tony and Ziva talking in autopsy shortly after Jenny's funeral; something about family and inevitability. He knew they were talking about him and Jen; the reason he had created rule 12 in the first place. Maybe if she was still here, things would be different. He had long since given up letting his guard down long enough to get close to anyone again; but why should that mean everyone else should be the same. When Ziva had first arrived, she had been so much like him; emotions closed off, locked away so that the only thing that mattered was the job. But being in America had changed her, or perhaps they had. The team were a family; he suspected that they were the kind of family she had never had growing up. And Tony, well he was obviously something more to her; whether she had admitted that to herself or not, it was likely he would never know. They were a perfect team, they worked together better than any two people he know. But he knew a little himself about inevitability, and was aware that one day, even their fear of his rules wouldn't stop them from breaking number 12. Ziva's reaction to Tony's disappearance had made him wonder if that day might be closer than he had once thought.

He smiled at the pretty, red haired barista who handed him a cardboard tray full of coffee and Abby's CafPow, and hurried back to the Navy Yard.

* * *

Ziva was, at that moment, asleep on the floor behind her desk, mumbling incoherently ever so often. She had been combing through DMV and city records, trying desperately to find a lead on the dumped car and where they could have gone; but was getting nowhere. Eventually McGee had gotten so sick of her sighs, swearing and eventual pacing that he had quietly suggested that she took a break. Not wanting to leave her desk in case they found a lead, she had settled for stealing Tony's air cushion and curled up on the floor behind her desk, covering herself with her jacket and settling into a restless sleep.

"_We've been barking up the wrong tree the entire investigation."  
_"_B__ush."  
_"_Sorry. Barking up the wrong...bush?"  
_" _Tree"_

"_I'm not getting any reception. How about you?"  
" I'm bra-less"  
"I noticed that earlier, but on your phone they're __bars."__  
"Don't you have anything better to do than correct my English?"_

Her eyes flickered open as memories jolted her out of her sleep for the 5th time in what felt like 5 minutes. It was still silent, the only light coming from their section of the bullpen. She was aware of McGee's presence sat, unmoving, at his desk. She closed her eyes again, willing a more peaceful sleep to come.

_I don't think your new girlfriend would like that."  
"What are you talking about? I don't know what you're talking about."  
" I'm talking about you, and the fact that you no longer stare at every woman when they pass you by."  
"Well, I'm looking down your shirt right now."  
"See anything good?"  
"Yeah. Real good, but I'm not entirely sure it's worth dying...over." _

She shifted in her sleep, her jacket slipping off her shoulders.

_"__ Do you ever think about soulmates?" _

"_Ziva, did you kill Houdini?" _

"_It was inevitable"  
_"_Nothing is inevitable."_

"_I'm tired of pretending"_

Her eyes snapped open again, and she sat up.

"Anything new, McGee?" she asked, her mind reeling from the flashes of memory that had been plaguing her sleep. Tim rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Nothing." He replied. He hesitated then, "Ziva?" he questioned.

"What?"

"We are going to find him, right?"

"I hope so, Tim." She replied, worry and fear creeping into her voice for the first time that day. Her dreams/memories had unsettled her. It wasn't uncommon for Tony to pop up in her dreams, but she had as yet refused to face up to the reason behind it; those memories were not helping. "I hope so." She sighed and pulled herself to her feet. Sleep wasn't doing her any good; she didn't feel rested, only scared; scared that they wouldn't find Tony, and scared that she would never get a chance to tell him how she felt, even if she still refused to admit it to herself. As she sat back down in her chair, her computer beeped suddenly, and she made a frantic grab for the mouse.

"McGee, I've got something!" she exclaimed. Tim jumped up quickly, hurrying over to peer over her shoulder. "Where's Gibbs?" she continued.

"Right here." Two pairs of eyes snapped up and focused on him, the rush of adrenaline bringing new energy to their expressions."What have you got, Ziva?"

**

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So no real development in the case. That'll be the next chapter. I know it was all a bit introspective for NCIS, but I thought a little bit of knowing what they were thinking would help. The idea of Ziva having flashbacks was the original idea i had. There are just so many good Tiva quotes out there! I hope you are enjoying the story i have created to include my original idea.

**Please review! **

**Thanks for reading x**


	5. Chapter 5

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So here is the next chapter! Thank you for all the reviews and story alerts that I got from the last chapter! I hope this next bit meets with your approval! This is the first casefic I have ever written so I hope the idea seems plausible! I also hope the Spanish is correct - I'm a translator, although I do Spanish to English, not the other way round, and my spoken Spanish is a bit rusty now! PLease let me know if it needs correcting!

**Enjoy!**

* * *

When Tony came to, he was in a car; and it was moving. He groaned softly, and shifted slightly, trying to assess if anything was broken. His head was throbbing, and he could feel something rough binding his wrists together, but other than that he seemed fine. Ziva had been right, he realised, the woman Smith's sister had seen him arguing with in town the previous week was Petty Officer Martinez. He frowned. Ziva. He hoped she was alright. The very fact that he was alone in the boot off this car seemed to suggest that they hadn't gotten her too. His ninja knew how to take care of herself. She would also probably kick his butt for referring to her as his ninja, even if it was only in his thoughts.

Suddenly he became aware of the car slowing down. He felt and heard the tyres rolling over gravel beneath him. He stiffened as he felt the car stop, swearing as, unable to stop himself, he banged his head on something hard next to him. The boot opened suddenly, and he blinked, squinting upwards through eyes that were watering at the sudden brightness.

"Get out." A woman's voice said, and he felt someone's hand on his arm, dragging him out of the car.

"What do you want?" He asked, "Why have you taken me?" Silence. His eyes had adjusted by now and he looked at his two captors, not feeling any fear, despite the gun that was once again trained on him by the Hispanic woman. Ziva had been right, she was an attractive woman. He offered her his most charming smile. "If it's for a threesome then I'm afraid I don't do guy on guy action!" He never had reacted to scary situations in the most sensible of ways. _Idiot._ He told himself, as he saw anger flare in the woman's eyes.

"Shut up." The woman ground out. She glanced at her companion, whose face Tony had yet to see. "¿Está listo el auto?" ("Is the car ready?")

"Sí. Javi nos espera en el otro allá." ("Yes. Javi is waiting for us in the other one over there.") It was a man's voice. Hispanic, obviously.

"¡No menciones nombres, cabrón!" (Don't mention any names, you idiot!") Martinez cast a glance at Tony, obviously trying to gauge whether he understood or not. He forced a look of confusion onto his face. He didn't speak much Spanish, it was true, but he spoke Italian with his Nonna, (Grandma) and could understand spoken Spanish reasonably well because of it.

"You killed Smith and Salinas Martín?" he asked, ignoring the man behind him. Bad move. The man grabbed his tied wrists and twisted hard, wrenching his shoulder.

"The lady told you to be quiet." He hissed quietly. Tony winced and nodded and the man released him. "Llevele al auto. Yo quemaré a esto." ("Take him to the car. I'll set this one on fire") he added. Martinez nodded and waved the gun at Tony.

"Let's go. Don't make any rash moves, or I will shoot you." She indicated a red pickup that was sat on the other side of the road, its engine running.

"Why did you kill them?" Tony asked as he did as she said, trying to surreptitiously look around at his surroundings. The area was deserted; the houses looked mainly derelict, burnt out cars and old furniture littering the obviously once pristine front gardens.

"I said, shut up." Martinez repeated. He heard her move closer and felt the cool metal barrel of the gun press against the small of his back. "Now, get in there." She gestured to the back seat of the red pickup truck. "And if you keep your mouth shut, maybe you won't go the same way as Daniel and his boyfriend." She paused, "And maybe we'll leave your partner alone." Tony started visibly; _not Ziva, anyone but Ziva_; but he quickly forced an expression of nonchalance back onto his face. Whatever their plans for him, it wouldn't do to let them know how much the thought of Ziva getting hurt scared him. So he chose his usual method to cover up his feelings: bravado.

"Ha, I'd wish you luck. Ziva is not someone you want to cross; trust me."

It was the last thing he remembered saying before everything went dark...again. The next time he came to, his head was pounding even worse than before. Not surprising considering he had been knocked out twice in the space of an hour. He couldn't tell much about where he was. It was dark, the only light coming from the moonlight streaming through a small corner window. He groaned. Today had not worked out so well.

* * *

Ziva looked up in excitement; the first real flash of emotion since Tony had been kidnapped appeared on her face.

"The house where we found the car." She said, scanning the information on her screen. "It belongs to a Fatima Ferrera Martínez."

"And?"

"The woman who found the bodies? Petty Officer Martínez.."

"That's a long shot, Ziva." Gibbs said. "One surname in common could apply to any number of people in the D.C area." Ziva shook her head,

"I know that, Gibbs. But Lance Corporal Smith's sister told me and Tony that she had seen Smith arguing with a Hispanic woman in town. She described her to us and the description sounded exactly like Petty Officer Martínez." Gibbs looked slightly more convinced. McGee had gone back to his computer and was running a search on the woman Ziva had mentioned.

"But still, we'll need proof before we bring Martínez in for questioning."

"Uh boss?" McGee called from across the room. They both looked at him. "I think Ziva maybe on to something. There is one record for a Fatima Ferrera Martínez."

"And?"

"She's a convicted drug dealer. She's currently serving a 9 year term at USP Hazelton, West Virginia, for possession, intent to supply and possession of an unregistered firearm."

"Is there any information on her family, McGee?" Ziva asked, hopefully. McGee frowned at his screen.

"Nothing so far." He admitted.

"Is Nikki still here?" Gibbs asked.

"Uh, I think so boss. She went back to her office to take a nap I think." McGee replied, "She was helping me go through the Port CCTV footage until I told her to take a break."

"Get her, will you? I want to get a warrant to search that house. Hopefully Nikki can help us with that."

"At 4am, boss?" Gibbs fixed him with a stare.

"It gives you four hours to find enough proof that the women are linked to DiNozzo's disappearance." He replied.

"On it boss," McGee replied, reaching for his phone.

"Good job, Ziva." He added, studying her face as she turned her attention back to her own computer screen, frowning. She looked exhausted; the dark circles under her eyes and her unusually messy mass of curls betrayed the pain and stress she was feeling. He understood; they were all worried. But his gut told him that DiNozzo was alright; he was a fighter and he would find his way out of this. She was close to breaking. He had seen her sleeping behind her desk, she had been muttering in her sleep, and Tony's name had come up more than once in the short time he had been there. Her feelings for DiNozzo were becoming more and more obvious. She had to put them aside. He needed her on the top of her game if they were going to get him back. There would be time for discussions about rule 12 later.

"Ziva, go down to Abby and tell her I told you to use her camp bed."

"Shouldn't I help Tim..?" she replied, her back stiffening imperceptibly, ready for a fight if she had to.

"Go and see Abby." Gibbs repeated quietly. "You need a break from the search, and your nap didn't do you any good. Go see Abby, see if she has any news and then have a sleep on her camp bed."

"But Gibbs.."

"No. You are no good to Tony if you are exhausted. We won't be able to do anything for a few hours, go and get some sleep."

"I was no good to Tony when he was kidnapped." She muttered quietly under her breath, steeling herself angrily against the tears that threatened to fall. It was all her fault; he was her partner and he was missing. She should have stopped them, should have been quicker, they should never have split up in the first place. She didn't know what she would do if...she couldn't even face that particular thought. She was jolted out of her thoughts by Gibbs' hand coming into firm contact with the back of her head. She looked up in surprise. He looked mad.

"Elevator, now." He said sharply, turning and stalking to the other side of the bullpen. She got quickly to her feet and followed him, refusing to meet McGee's curious gaze: she knew he hadn't heard what she had said, but Gibbs obviously had.

Following Gibbs into the elevator, she was unsurprised when he pulled the emergency stop button.

"This is not your fault." He said, sounding almost angry. "You are not helping Tony by wallowing in self pity." She felt a flash of anger run through her.

"I am not wallowing in self pity!" she returned angrily, "I have been doing everything I can to find Tony."

"And beating yourself up about his disappearance the whole time." Gibbs countered, "It was not your fault." She sighed, taking a shaky breath.

"I know." She admitted quietly, "But that doesn't stop me from.."

"Being scared?" Gibbs nodded his understanding. "That's natural when it's someone you lo...care for." He changed his choice of words quickly at the look on her face: the anger had dissipated, but had been replaced by shock, denial and fear were fighting to appear in her expression.

"I do not know what you are talking about." She replied quickly, refusing to meet his gaze. Gibbs put a hand gently on her shoulder.

"I know you do." He replied, "But that's not a conversation for now. Get some rest. When we find DiNozzo, then we'll talk." He pushed in the emergency stop button and the elevator soon deposited them at the entrance to Abby's lab. "You have two hours to sleep. I want you back at your desk at 0600. Nikki and Tim can handle the search until then." He continued, as if they hadn't just been loosely discussing her and Tony's relationship.

"Thanks, Gibbs." Ziva replied quietly. She didn't expect to have any more luck sleeping down here than she had upstairs, but, given the hints in their last conversation, she was willing to do what Gibbs told her too at that point.

**So...i hope you didn't think that was too out of character for Tony, Ziva or Gibbs. We all know that Gibbs is quite the softy under his gruff persona. And I think Ziva has softened a lot in recent series, I don't think she's any better than Tony at the blaming herself game – I just think she usually hides it better. With Tony, I could just imagine him making wisecracks and getting himself knocked out for his trouble!**

**Anyways, let me know your thoughts on that chapter. I'll get the new chapter up as soon as I can!**

**Thank you so much for reading!!**


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